new hike backpack leader seminar presentation student copy

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New Hike-BackpackLeader WorkshopSponsored by the Foothills BranchHiking-Backpacking Committee

The session will begin at 6:15PM.

Objectives

• Understand the roles and objectives of a leader in the Mountaineers• Understand the expectations and best-practices of organizing and

managing a Mountaineers group trip• Learn leadership best practices and apply them in scenarios• Review next steps to become a Leader for the Mountaineers

Saturday, January 29, 2022 Foothills Branch

Leadership Roles andExpectations

for Hike, Urban Walk & Backpack Leaders


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Why Lead?• Choose the where, when and pace for trips• Gain experience with group and people

leadership that will carry over into otheraspects of your life

• “Pay it forward”

Above all, Leadership is a shift from afocus on individual success to a focuson group success.Leaders should love helping people

achieve their goals and learn new things.


Role of the Leader

• Plan, organize, and execute activities• Ensure your participants are capable and prepared to succeed on the posted

itinerary• Authority and accountability for the SAFE RETURN of your group to the

trailhead.• Help everyone enjoy the trip and experience a sense of community• Teach and role-model courteous and “leave no trace” trail behavior• Leave your participants and others you meet on the trail feeling great about

their experience.


Requirements for Leaders• Current member, at least 18 years old• Caring, service-focused, respectful, empathetic, safety-oriented• Have participated in at least 2-3 Mountaineers hikes/urban walks/backpacks in

the recent past• Must demonstrate working competence in:

• Group Leadership: trip planning, group leadership and communication• Technical Skills: Hiking and/or backpacking skills including gear, ten essentials, trail and camp skills

appropriate for the activity• Navigation: Route finding, use of maps, and tools to ‘stay found’• Safety: Identify and mitigate or avoid common hazards• First Aid and Emergency Preparedness: Ability to handle common on-trail first-aid and emergency

situations• Knowledge of Standards and Policies: Mountaineers and land management agencies


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Requirements for Leaders (2)

• Can show working competence through:• Application (required)• Completion of this seminar and a mentored trip (required in most

cases)• Other Mountaineers leader badges or demonstrated leadership

experience with other organizations• Course completion/certificationsWilderness First Aid and Wilderness Navigation or Staying Found required for

hike and backpack leadersRed Cross First Aid/CPR and Map and Compass are sufficient for Urban Walk

leaders

More about next steps at the end of the seminarSaturday, January 29, 2022 Foothills Branch

Legal Considerations

• Even as volunteers, we have a legal DUTY OF CARE to follow theSTANDARD OF PRACTICE in our industry to keep participants safe anddeliver what we promise.

• Volunteers are protected from individual liability by Federal and statestatutes and Mountaineers insurance as long as they are not ‘grosslynegligent’ – but the club CAN be sued based on your actions (or lack of)

SO…


Managing Risk and Liability• Don’t lead until you have the basic competencies to do so safely.• Communicate the hazards in writing to participants before the trip.• Ensure that your participants are prepared, capable, and understand their

responsibility as a Mountaineers group member.• Review the hazards in a safety briefing before you set out, and along the

way.• Operate within Mountaineers standards for the activity you’re leading.• Understand the ‘Seven Steps of Emergency Response’ and lead to the best

of your ability in an emergency.• Bring your participants home safely.


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Running a TripFoothills Hike & Backpack Leaders


Activity Definitions• Hikes in The Mountaineers are hiking trips of at least 2 miles that take

place outside of city or suburban parks, streets or green-belts.

• Backpacking trips are hikes that include overnight stays whereparticipants carry in their shelter, food and water.

• Urban Walks are outings that take place on city or suburban streets, parksor greenbelts, where there is consistent cell phone service and nearbyemergency access and egress points.

• Party size:• Minimum party size is 3 (safety)• Maximum party size is 12 (agency rules) unless lower limits apply.


Activity Definitions• Hiking and Backpacking trips are restricted to maintained and and

unmaintained trails.• We recognize a few exceptions:

• Snow sections OK unless safe and comfortable travel requires ice axe and/or snowshoes onmost of the route. Do not lead where potential for uncontrolled slide.

• Off-trail sections OK unless technical terrain where safe travel requires helmet and/orscramble skills beyond putting your hands down

• Running and fast-packing trips must be posted as Trail Runs and led by a Trail Runningleader (cross-listing OK)

• Depends on the skills of each particular group

• DO NOT post trips outside these boundaries, even if you are a climb, scrambleor snowshoe leader and plan to require these badges for participants.

• Going outside published standards for the activity you’re posting creates legal liability foryou and for The Mountaineers.


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Mountaineer’s Hike and Backpack Ratings


Easy (E) Up to 8 mi. RT with <1,200 ftelevation gain

Moderate Up to 12 mi. RT or 1,200 –2,500 ft elevation gain

Strenuous (S) Up to 14 mi. RT or 2,500 –3,500 ft elevation gain

Very Strenuous(VS)

Over 14 miles RT or over 3,500ft elevation gain

For beginners Average pace <1 mph- no technicalchallenges or specific skills required.

Easy Average pace 1-1.5 mph - no technicalchallenges or specific skills required.

Moderate Average pace of 1.5-2 mph OR someroute challenges OR an easy routewith an overnight pack.

Challenging Average pace >2 mph OR significantroute challenges/specific skillsrequired OR a moderate route with anovernight pack.

Difficulty (Route) Leader Rating

Rate trips conservatively, based on the average casual hiker….not based onhow easy it would be for YOU. Regardless of the rating, once on the trail youmust manage your hike for the success of the slowest/least skilled participant.

Rate backpacks based on the most challenging or‘defining’ day of the trip

Leader Checklists1. Before the hike2. At the meeting place/trailhead3. On the trail4. In case of emergency5. After the trip

I will review a few key elements but you are responsible for reviewingthe detailed checklists before your first trip and applying asappropriate!


Learnings from Incident Reports 2016-present

Summary of Incident Causes:• 48% (83) slip, trip, fall on or off trail.

• 29% (50) health, illness, conditioning.• 6% (11) party separation (getting lost).• 5% (9) bee/wasp stings.

Safety Committee recommends the following actions by leaders:• Encourage participants to use trekking poles. Require microspikes if potential for icy trail.• Actively help participants to stay mindful and aware of terrain hazards at all times. Take particular care if

someone is trying to go around someone else on narrow trail.• Carefully screen participants have sufficient fitness and experience for the trip objective and conditions.

• Maintain party proximity while on trail and at camp.• Be mindful of potential for wasps/hornets in late summer / early fall.


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Mountaineers Covid-19 Policies and Guidelines for OutdoorActivities

• A Code of Conduct governs leader and participant behavior and responsibilities

• Masks no longer required for unvaccinated participants in outdoor activities if distancing can bemaintained (leaders may add mask expectation when distancing can’t be maintained).

• Leaders may ask about vaccination status and require vaccination, or not, if they wish. Masking,proof of vaccination required for indoor programs.

• Leaders may choose to allow a negative COVID-19 test result in lieu of vaccination for vaccine-required programs. (taken 72 hrs or less before the program, can’t be an at-home rapid test).

• Leaders have full authority to go beyond the minimum requirements above on their activities.

• https://www.mountaineers.org/membership/the-mountaineers-covid-19-response - Theseare regularly updated so check before you start planning your trip!


Before the trip: Screening Applicants

If your trip requires certain skills and/or conditioning:• Consider ‘Leader Permission Only’ option• If you don’t know someone:Check their activity and course history on the website.Ask detailed but considerate questions to ensure that they are capable. (email, phone call) Recent activities they’ve been on? Who led? Pace? If they don’t know their pace, ask how long it took them to complete a recent trip

• Be caring and respectful – explain that you want to be sure everyone will havefun, be successful, and stay safe. Suggest an alternate activity if yours isn’t a fit.


Ensure that your participants will be safe and successful and havefun on your planned activity. STRESSFUL BUT ESSENTIAL!!

Badges can provide valuable information:• Staying Found (on-trail) or Wilderness Nav (off-trail) badge will indicate training and field

practice in navigation; likewise with Wilderness First Aid badge

• GoHike course badge will indicate someone who has completed a season of regular easier social hikes

• A CHS course badge will indicate completion of a season of increasingly strenuous hikes

• Basic and Advanced Backpacking Skills badges will indicate basic to advanced competence with gear, tripplanning and actual recent backpacking trip experience.

• Covid-19 Vaccination Verification badge will indicate that a person is “fully vaccinated” (but may or maynot be boosted)

• But should not exclude people from consideration just because they don’t have one ofthese badges. Many people come with equivalent experience outside the Mountaineers.


Before the trip: Screening Applicants

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Start by introducing yourselves within your breakout groupThen two different role-play scenarios: Same hike, different applicantsOne person is leader calling the other person who is the applicant Scenario 1

Then new people as leader and applicant and do scenario 2

Report out:• What tactics worked well in the two scenarios?• What did you learn about the pitfalls and how to avoid them?


Second Breakout Session - Screening Applicants20 minutes

Before the Trip: Ten Essentials


• Role-model responsible planning for and use of the Ten Essentials.

• Emphasize critical items in description and pre-trip communications – and check forthe critical items before you leave the meeting place.

• Leaders have the leeway to specify different gear requirements based on the demandsof the trip.

• Emphasize what’s critical for safety but don’t be more rigid than the circumstancesrequire.

If someone shows up without a piece of critical gear, can someone else share? Is it truly essentialgiven the route and conditions?

At the Trailhead: Begin Building a Cohesive GroupBe clear about the objectives and style of the trip in your trip

description and pre-trip communications.

Set expectations about how Mountaineers groups work beginningwith pre-trip communications SUCCESS = having fun together, building community, helping each other

succeed - getting everyone back safely

Begin at the trailhead to encourage building of relationshipsamong the group members!Break the ice by sharing special skills, each person’s objectives or reason for

wanting to go on this trip

Explain how you’d like them to manage their pace to support eachother, then reinforce with reminders and actions along the way


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Other key trailhead messages Define key supporting roles:

First Aid LeaderSweep

Encourage communication of safetyconcerns, illness or injury as you go along

Foster an atmosphere of emotional safety….By you as the leader being humble and open with everyoneBy treating everyone respectfully


During The Trip• Manage the pace for safety and morale of everyone in the

group• Decide based on experience, conditions and trail hazards whether to keep the

group together or let them spread out. Never leave someone alone.• At minimum wait at all junctions, significant stream crossings or hazards.


• Stay vigilant for participant, weather, or route issues.• Stop and help struggling participants. Don’t go beyond the

capabilities of the weakest or least skilled members.

During The Trip (Cont’d)

• If conditions change or the route proves more difficult than theweakest member can complete safely, find a safer alternative orturn around.

• Lead the trip you posted.

Don’t be afraid to make an unpopular call -YOU are responsible forthe group’s SAFE RETURN to the trailhead!


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Splitting the Group• The leader has the leeway to allow this as long as you are confident that everyone will

get back safely. If you turn people entirely over to a co-leader, do they have the training & experience to keep the group

safe? Do they know what you expect? Do you have a plan for meeting back up?

Most cases of people getting lost come when groups split up. How will you communicate with the othergroup? How will you ensure the safety of those who are not with you?

Under what circumstances might it be OK to send someone back out alone?

• Splitting the group can leave slower participants feeling ostracized and can send message thatindividual goals are more important than the group’s success and enjoyment.What is the primary objective of your trip? Communicate ahead of time what you will do in this situation.

Shunning and antagonistic treatment of slower participants is unacceptable behavior.


Making decisions in a group setting

When there really is flexibility for group engagement in a decision, itcan bring the group together and add ownership!Start with brainstorming options – leader can summarize the options, then take a

non-binding “advisory” survey of the group

Give participants a chance to discuss and advocate for their positions

Then take a final vote and ask everyone to support it

Draw out the quiet people. Watch for the ‘herd mentality’.


Making decisions in a group setting

Sometimes the leader needs to make a command decision for thegood of the group.

Listen to input if there is time, but if not, explain your rationale and relate it to thesafety of the group.


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Dealing with a difficult participant and/or unacceptablebehavior

• Don’t put it off!

• Stay calm and manage your emotional state

• De-escalate - don’t be aggressive or confrontational

• Deal in private – don’t humiliate someone in front of others

• Explain what you observe and why it concerns you – how could it impact the trip and/orthe group – what changes need to happen

• Seek to understand their concerns/point of view – active listening

• Ask them to help you resolve the situation


Dealing with a difficult participant and/or unacceptablebehavior

• If a group member’s behavior puts the enjoyment or safety of any other group memberat risk, then you need to act promptly to stop that behavior.Emotional safety and physical safety are both important!

Harassment, objectionable language, inappropriate conversations or touching are unacceptable on aMountaineers activity.

The Mountaineers have your back when it comes to confronting such behavior!

• The Mountaineers have a problem-behavior reporting and follow up process forparticularly bad or repeat problem behavior.


In Case of EmergencyWe expect our leaders to have basic ‘working competency’ for howto handle common first aid and other emergencies in the field.• Internalize the Seven Steps• Wilderness First Aid badge or equivalent – Foothills offers a 50% subsidy for

leaders who commit to leading at least 3 trips for Foothills in a year


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Reporting safety incidents on your tripWhat? Any significant near-miss or actual injury/illness situation. Required if outside medicaltreatment, rescue or hospitalization.

Why?• To learn from others’ experiences! Outdoor activities have inherent risk; we strive to address risk

through learning and practice• Incident descriptions let us visualize similar situations and learn how to avoid similar outcomes• Tracking trends helps us improve communication on reducing risk

When? As soon as possible after the trip, while the experience is fresh, but after debriefing withyour group.

How? When closing your trip, click the button for submitting an incident report


Putting It Into PracticeFoothills Hike & Backpack Leaders


Leadership Scenarios

Injuries or trip problems often result from system failures orleader decisions that can be examined and addressed toprevent recurrence.• Let’s explore how to respond to some common ‘judgment’ situations

using what you’ve learned today!


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Leadership Scenarios

You will move into a breakout group with 4-5 other studentsand one facilitator.

Each group will be presented two real-life leadership challengescenarios, and discuss the considerations and what they think theleader should do. (10 mins each)Note taker who will share the group’s conclusions with the larger groupExtra scenarios and facilitator’s notes to take home and review


Wrap-up - Next Steps

Foothills Hike & Backpack Leaders


Leader Responsibilities: Privacy


Trip leaders can see all the profile data of people on their rosters, even forthose who have private profiles.Leaders may extract and use even private participant profile data for planning and

safety purposes relative to their trip or seminar.

However, the data of a person with a private profile cannot be shared with othermembers.Ask for permission before sharing even email addresses with other participants.

• Privacy policy explained

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Leader Responsibilities: Carpooling• Mountaineers trips start at the trailhead – our insurance does

not allow leaders or staff to assign or require carpools.• Carpool drivers are free to require masks and vaccination, or not,

as they wish, but need to let all riders know.

• Leaders CAN encourage carpooling, and facilitate by sharingcontact info (if authorized by hiker – check & respect privacysettings on profile)

• Willing drivers are a precious resource.• Remind people that it’s an important courtesy to reimburse their driver.

You can suggest a reimbursement rate

• Tell hikers the round-trip mileage to trailhead


Leader Responsibilities: Youth

• Special requirements for leader training and supervision for anyoneunder 18 (applies even with their parents on the trip)

• https://www.mountaineers.org/youth/volunteer-with-youth

• Foothills is assisting Seattle Youth Committee to provide training andcertification for aspiring youth & family hike and backpack leaders –youth-specific first aid and navigation training will be provided bySeattle Youth Committee


Leader Responsibilities: Hikes with dogs:


• Establish in advance as part of trip posting – don’t ‘spring’ it on the other participantsafter they’ve registered.

• Service animals must be allowed to accompany a participant, and you can’t ask formedical proof. Communicate the situation to the other participants in advance so thatthey can opt out if they wish.

• Follow posted trail rules!!

• Don’t bring dogs in active wildlife areas

• Be sensitive to dogs in camps with other people

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Steps to become a hike, urban walk or backpack leader


• New Leader seminar.

• Recent experience on 2-3 Mountaineers hikes, urban walks or backpacks as a participant.(Ok for aspiring youth leaders to get this experience with a youth group.)

• First Aid, Safety and Navigation training:

• To certify as a hike or backpack leader, need Wilderness First Aid and Wilderness Navigation/StayingFound or equivalent. (Youth leaders can get this training with Seattle Youth Committee)

• To certify as an Urban Walk leader, you do not have to become a hike leader first! Need at least RedCross First Aid/CPR and Staying Found/Map and Compass course or equivalent, plus completion of theUrban Walk Safety seminar (pedestrian safety).

Steps to become a hike, urban walk or backpack leader


• Submit application (goes to the activity chair of the specified committee). You can lead for any Mountaineers branch, regardless of your ‘home branch’.

• Request provisional leader status from that committee – then organize, post and lead a Mountaineers hikeor backpack with an experienced Mountaineers leader as a mentor. The mentor will complete and submita mentor evaluation form.

• With favorable mentor evaluation, committee will grant you full leader standing & badge.

• Progressions:• If you’ve qualified specifically to lead Urban Walks, you must gain the additional first aid and navigation training and lead

a mentored hike to be certified to lead backcountry hikes.

• Youth leaders must lead mentored adult trip to certify as an adult leader.

• Hike leaders must lead mentored backpack to certify as a backpack leader.• Scramble or climb leaders still must complete the full certification process to become a hike or backpack leader.

• Led only within a course? Must lead an ‘open’ trip with a mentor to post and lead ‘open’ trips.

Next Steps• Review all the class reference materials

• Get enrolled for any pre-requisites you don’t already have

• Submit application form – I’ll send this to you after this class.The committee will prompt you to complete any needed requirements, and to help you organize your

mentored lead.

• Review instructions for posting an activity on the Mountaineers website and managingan activity roster – under “Volunteer” “Schedule and Manage”. Great video trainingcan be found there.


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QUESTIONS?

new hike backpack leader seminar presentation student copy

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